Two hedgehogs, One Goal: Part 2 of 2
by GuGoomba
Summary: After forming a truce, Sonic and Mecha-Sonic embark to escape from their captors. But they won't escape without encountering a few barriers, even ones from the mind.


All Sonic characters are copyrights of SEGA, DIC, or Archie comics. I try not to use too many Archie elements, but some are present. The "Rockies" and "Idita" are copyrights to me, GuGoomba (my AOL screen name, and Mecha Sonic2001 (my geocities screen name) and Mecha-Sonic (my fanfiction.net name).

Two Hedgehogs, One Goal: Part 2

The Escape

Bunnie grunted as she lifted another of the huge boulders that had blocked off the cave made from the explosions for the last three days. Nearly all the Freedom Fighters, including the small band they had saved, where hard at work removing the rocks that blocked the cave entrance as fast as they could. They only had a few more to go.

*Come on, Sonic. Please be there and be alive,* thought Sally as the last of the boulders were removed from the entrance to the cave. John was the first one to enter, followed closely by Sally and Tails. John turned on his lantern, illuminating the small cave quite well. They searched all through the small cave, finding nothing at all to indicate that either Sonic or Mecha-Sonic had ever been there. They were about to give up when Tails' keen eyesight spotted something wedged between two small rocks. He walked over to it, knelt down, and examined the small object, which was a piece of cloth.

"Hey! Take a look at this!" cried Tails as he pulled the piece of cloth from the rocks. Sally and John both ran over to Tails, almost colliding into each other. Sally took the cloth from Tails and examined it herself. She suddenly felt both relived and fearful when she recognized what it was.

"What is it?" asked John, noticing Sally was starting to tremble. She looked over at him with tears in her eyes and mouthed something. John repeated the question, this time getting an audio response.

"It's a piece of Sonic's sock… He's still alive," she whispered. John took Sally into his arms as she started to cry. It was then that he noticed something that started to gleam when he had placed his lantern on the ground. He motioned for Tails to see what it was. The young fox knelt down to retrieve the shining object, when he suddenly froze.

"What's wrong? What is it?" asked John as he looked up from Sally, who managed to get herself under control. Tails finally broke from his trance and picked up the object, holding it in view for the others.

"Oh no…" said Sally, her face turning pale. John closed his eyes and lowered his head. In Tails' hand was a small piece of silver colored metal, shaped like a curved triangle.

**********

"So where exactly does this tunnel lead to?" asked Sonic as the two hedgehogs continued to walk through the tunnel that had led from their cells about the fourth hour. By now, the path had stated to slope downward at about a 20 degree incline. Mecha-Sonic growled, for this had been the third time in ten minutes that Sonic had annoyed him with a question that he couldn't answer.

"For the last time, I DON'T KNOW!" screamed Mecha-Sonic.

"Sheesh, don't blow a circuit, Mecha," said Sonic, who had become quite ticked himself for not being able to run for the last four hours. That was the wrong thing to say. Before he knew what hit him, Mecha-Sonic had grabbed him by the neck and was starting to choke him, eye lights glowing bright red.

"That's it! Truce or no truce, I will teach you some respect!" said Mecha-Sonic as he squeezed even harder, cutting off Sonic's air supply. But Sonic didn't give in. Using his super speed, he started kicking Mecha-Sonic's chest plate as fast as his feet could move. The robotic hedgehog started to stumble backwards, crashing into the stone wall of the cave. Mecha-Sonic finally released his grip after his internal computer indicated that his internal parts were starting to malfunction from all the shaking caused by the kicks.

Sonic fell to the ground hard, which sent a wave of pain shooting through his back. But he got up and went into a spindash, charging Mecha-Sonic, who in turn fired his thrusters, flying at top speed at Sonic. Both of the collided and started to tumble down the hill. Mecha-Sonic would slash with his claws, and Sonic would dodge the swipes as they rolled down the increasingly steeper incline. Eventually, they reached the bottom of the hill, Mecha-Sonic on top, Sonic on the bottom. Mecha-Sonic raised his right fist to deliver a killing blow to the head.

*Great! I'm going to get killed by a mechanical fake of myself! What a way to go!* thought Sonic. He closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the end to come. But it never did. When Sonic reopened his eyes, he saw that Mecha-Sonic was looking over at some source of light off in the distance. He turned his head to follow Mecha-Sonic's gaze. Then he saw why Mecha-Sonic had stopped fighting. The tunnel had finally come to an end that lead into an even bigger cavern than that of Dragon's Cave.

Mecha-Sonic then rose off of Sonic. Sonic immediately did a back flip away from his robotic double, landing in a fighting stance. But Mecha-Sonic wasn't paying any attention to him anymore. He walked to the very tip of the tunnel, looked out into the cavern, and then immediately jumped back.

"What's the matter with you?" asked Sonic, walking up to the edge of the tunnel and then jumping back himself. "Never mind," he replied. Both of them knelt down, taking in the site. Down below, there were several dozen of the Rockies performing some kind of ritual. Many were doing some kind of dance around two wooden poles with dozens of logs underneath each one. Others were talking to each other. But the most amazing thing was the fact that they all spoke in English. Before now, neither one of the hedgehogs had even thought that they were capable of intelligent speech.

"Man, what is going on?" asked Sonic, looking down from the mouth of the tunnel. Mecha-Sonic scanned the area with his sensors, then turned towards Sonic.

"They appear to be getting ready for some kind of ceremonial sacrifice, by what I can gather. But who would they be sacrificing? I mean, the Rockies would only heat up by putting fire underneath them. It wouldn't kill them," said Mecha-Sonic. Sonic started to look nervous.

"I'll tell you who they're going to sacrifice. Us!" cried Sonic. Mecha-Sonic looked at Sonic, both shocked and horrified.

"Maybe we should try to find another way out," suggested Mecha-Sonic.

"Good idea," agreed Sonic. They started to rise to leave, but where cut off by a crumbling sound. They both looked behind them in time to see the edge of the tunnel give way from underneath them. They both let out a yell as they plunged to the ground below. Sonic curled up and went into a spindash, rolling down the side of the wall. Mecha-Sonic tried to fire his foot thrusters, but at the angel he was falling, he would have shoot straight into wall if he activated them.

Both of them landed with a small thud, stunning both for a few seconds. But the noise they made from yelling and then crashing to the ground was enough to catch the attention of one Rocky. It immediately recognized the two as their sacrifice, considering it was the same one who had captured out Sonic.

"Hey! Our sacrifices escaped!" it yelled to the others. All of them stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to the two escapees, who had recovered from their fall.

"This doesn't look good…" said Sonic as he prepared to use his spindash, if necessary. Mecha-Sonic raised his laser arm, taking aim at the nearest Rocky.

"For once, I agree with you," said Mecha-Sonic. Both of them backed into the wall as the crowd of Rockies approached them; some with clubs, others with spears. The two parties stared each other down. It was Sonic who made the first move.

"Hey you guys! Why did you capture us, anyway?" asked Sonic. Mecha-Sonic looked over at Sonic with a disbelieving stare.

"Why did you ask a stupid thing like THAT?!" he cried. But even more disbelieving than Sonic's question was what happened next. The biggest Rocky moved to the front of the crowd and put it's club down to its side.

"I am the Elder of this tribe. You are above ground beings. Idita, demands that we sacrifice all above ground beings we ever see. We captured you and brought you here, to our home," it said.

"Who is Idita?" asked Mecha-Sonic. The Elder raised his club in the direction of a carving that covered the whole back wall. It looked like a cross between a dragon and a lion.

"That is Idita. We must follow his orders or else," said the Elder. Sonic shook his head, smiling as an idea came to him.

"But wouldn't your god be more impressed if you could catch us while we are awake? You definitely had the advantage when you took us," said Sonic. The Elder seemed to think about that remark. True, Sonic had been unconscious when they had found him, and Mecha-Sonic had still been off-line. The Elder looked back at the carving of Idita, then returned his gaze to the two hedgehogs.

"You speak the truth, blue one. Idita demands the practice of fair hunting. By this alone, I shall give you one chance to live. Escape this mountain without being killed, you are free to go. If we kill you before then, you will have been nobly sacrificed to Idita," said the Elder.

*Not much of a choice," thought Sonic, *But then again, what choice do we have.* He turned to Mecha-Sonic, who still had his laser armed and ready to fire.

"Okay, we'll agree to your terms. But we get a thirty second head-start," said Sonic.

"It is agreed. But I must ask, why only thirty seconds? Why not five minutes?" asked the Elder. Sonic grabbed a hold of Mecha-Sonic's arm, then smiled at the Elder.

"Because I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, and I have that name for a reason," he said as he revved up. He then blasted away from the group of Rockies, leaving a trail of dust behind as he ran back up the wall they had fallen from, Mecha-Sonic in tow. All the Rockies stood there in awe for twenty seconds before they realized what had just happened.

"Hurry! With that kind of speed, they could be long gone from this area!" shouted the Elder.

**********

"Why are we going back this way?" asked Mecha-Sonic as Sonic sped back through the tunnel. After about a minute, they arrived back at their cells. Sonic screech to a halt, letting go of Mecha-Sonic's arm.

"I came back this way because there was no other way to go. That whole cavern was enclosed with this tunnel being the only exit," said Sonic. Mecha-Sonic looked back towards the cavern, then back at Sonic.

"So how long do you think it will take for them to catch up?" he asked. Sonic looked down the tunnel, then shook his head.

"Don't know. I was only going about half speed. Can't go full in such an enclosed space. But if I had to guess, I'd say about ten minutes," answered Sonic. He then got nervous as Mecha-Sonic raised his laser arm towards him. He ducked as Mecha-Sonic fired, hitting the wall behind Sonic.

"What in the world was that for!" cried Sonic. His answer came as a Rocky came crashing down behind him, shattering into a dozen pieces.

"That's what," answered Mecha-Sonic, lowering his arm. "Apparently, they can blend into the walls. We'll have to be on guard or risk getting ambushed."

"Well, now what? I can't use my speed very much, and your flying ability is limited in here. So basically, we are at a great disadvantage compared to our pursuit," said Sonic. Mecha-Sonic started humming as his computer tried to determine how deep in the mountain they were.

"From my analysis, I have determined that we are approximately 100 feet underground. That means that we have to go up to escape," said Mecha-Sonic.

"Well no duh, Mecha," said Sonic, rolling his eyes. Mecha-Sonic glared at him, eye lights shining bright red.

"Look, hedgehog, don't get me any angrier than I am already. I don't have the patience right now to deal with you and your antics," growled Mecha-Sonic.

"Sorry," sighed Sonic. "So what do you say we get going." Sonic grabbed a hold of Mecha-Sonic's arm and blasted away at about a quarter his normal speed.

**********

Back in the cavern, the Elder paced back and forth in front of the caving of Idita, wondering if he had made the wrong choice in allowing the two sacrifices a chance to escape. No, he had made the right decision. Idita demanded that all game, whether captured for food or for sacrifice, was to be caught in fair hunting. As paced, another Rocky approached him, almost running with excitement.

"Great Elder, we have located the escaped sacrifices. They are heading towards the Pillars of Skill. We have over 200 of our best warriors already in place to surprise them once they get out onto the pillars," said the Rocky.

"Excellent. Wait until they are out in the middle before you commence the hunt. We wouldn't want them to think they still have pursuit," said the Elder, smiling.

**********

As Sonic ran through the now widening tunnel, he was able to pour on the speed, getting closer to breaking the sound barrier. But he held back for fear the noise of him breaking the barrier would attract attention. As of now, he was content with running at about 3/4 his usual speed. Mecha-Sonic, on the other hand, was getting extremely restless from having to be dragged by Sonic through the tunnel.

"Stop and let me off. They are miles behind us," growled Mecha-Sonic, eye lights glowing bright red. Sonic shook his head before he looked back at Mecha-Sonic.

"Look, Mecha, if I stop and let you off, then how do you expect to keep up with me?" asked Sonic. Mecha-Sonic fell silent, aware that Sonic was right, but not admitting it aloud. Sonic returned his gaze in front of him, just in time to see the tunnel end and open into a cave with no bottom.

"Whoa! That's not good!" he shouted, trying to stop the two of them before they hit the edge. Mecha-Sonic looked up to see the exit of the tunnel. He then smiled as he let go of Sonic's arm and fired his foot thrusters; stopping him, but causing Sonic to continue on. Sonic reached the end of the tunnel, still going at a fair speed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to stop before the edge.

Sonic hit the edge of the cliff, staggered for a second, then went over. He let out a yell as he fell down the bottomless shaft. He reached his hand out, trying to grab onto something, anything to stop his fall. After about ten seconds of dropping, he finally succeeded in catching the side of the cliff with one hand. But he knew he could never get the kind of leverage needed to pull himself up at that angle, nor could he use his speed to get back up in the position he was in. Hearing a laugh of triumph, he looked up the side of the cliff to see Mecha-Sonic staring down at him.

"Mecha! Help me!" cried Sonic. He knew the robotic hedgehog would probably just ignore him and continue on by himself. But for some odd reason, he still had a bit of hope in the back of his mind.

"You stupid hedgehog. Do you really think I would save you when you are about to plunge to your death? Don't make me laugh. Actually, make me laugh!" he yelled down to Sonic as he let out another laugh. Sonic's anger started to rise, but his sense of urgency at his current situation outweighed his anger by far.

"Mecha! You coward! Come back here and face me like a hedgehog!" yelled Sonic. Mecha-Sonic just shrugged off the comment, then started to jump across the canyon using several pillars of rock that were strung about the cave.

"MECHA!", yelled Sonic. Mecha-Sonic was now about a quarter of the way across the canyon when he was suddenly overcome with some odd emotion from the free will trapped inside his mind. He stopped on one of the pillars and tried to figure out what was going on. Surely, this new feeling was something of a malfunction. His programming was supposed to block all emotion of this nature. He closed his eyes as he tried to pinpoint the emotion. It was something warm…and friendly. All of a sudden, a picture of a red, female hedgehog with long brown hair flashed through his mind.

*Who was that? I feel as though I know that hedgehog somehow. But I've never seen her before…have I?*, thought Mecha-Sonic as he tried to remember who the mysterious red hedgehog was. But something else came to his mind. Something that nagged at him and fought against his programming. The free will of his mind struggled to gain control, even if only for a second. Mecha-Sonic turned back towards Sonic.

*How helpless he is in his situation, yet for some reason…I feel…I must help him,* thought Mecha-Sonic. He smacked the side of his head, then turned to continue on his way. So what if his free will side was causing him this emotion. His programming was superior to that feeble mind in every way. Sonic deserves what he gets for trusting in a robot designed for death.

Down below, Sonic had witnessed Mecha-Sonic's temporary stall on the pillar, sensing that Mecha-Sonic was in deep though about something. Maybe he was going to save him after all. Sonic immediately pushed that theory aside as soon as he saw Mecha-Sonic get up and continue on his way. He looked down the shaft, seeing nothing but darkness.

*Oh well. Looks like this hedgehog's finally bitten off more from the chilidog of life than he can chew. I hope Sal and Tails will be okay. And everyone else for that matter. Praise be with you all, and never give up the fight for freedom,* though Sonic as he closed his eyes, waiting for his arm to give out. After about a minute, he couldn't hold on anymore. Letting go of the cliff, he plunged into the abyss below, letting out a yell. He noticed some sharp stalagmites on a small ledge just below him.

A very painful way to die, but he might get lucky and die instantaneously from a blow to the head. He closed his eyes in anticipation. The seconds seemed like hours, but just before he hit bottom, he suddenly jerked upwards, coming to a hovering stop. He looked up to see none other than Mecha-Sonic, who had him by the leg.

"Mecha!", yelled Sonic, both in surprise and in anger. "WHAT IN THE WORLD TOOK YOU SO LONG!" Mecha-Sonic said nothing as he flew the two of them back towards one of the pillars near the tunnel's entrance. After setting Sonic down, he landed himself on an adjacent pillar, coming to a rest in the center. Sonic looked over at his robotic double in total shock. Here they were, the worst of enemies, yet still allies in their escape from their pursuers. Sonic started to speak, but was cut off by Mecha-Sonic raising his hand.

"Say nothing, hedgehog. I merely saved you because I want to defeat you myself in combat later on," said Mecha-Sonic. Sonic shook his head, not believing a single word, but not letting on that he knew he had been lied to.

"One thing, Mecha. Why did you help me after abandoning me at first?" asked Sonic. Mecha-Sonic turned and stared off into space. He knew the answer, but he wasn't about to tell Sonic why he had done what he had done. He turned his thoughts to the red hedgehog. Somehow, he knew who she was; that he had some connection with her. Maybe one day he would discover her identity. But he still had his mission to destroy Sonic. He would do that, but only after they escaped form here.

"I had my reasons, hedgehog. Now let us continue this trek for our freedom," said Mecha-Sonic as he started to fly to another pillar. Sonic took a running start and jumped across to another pillar, following Mecha-Sonic closely. The two of them proceeded across several of the pillars, unaware that danger lurked in the walls themselves.

**********

"Princess, you must relax," said John as Sally paced back and forth around her hut. She had been like this for the past 24 hours, no one able to break her stride or her train of thought. She knew that Sonic was alive somewhere, but where? They had searched everywhere they could think of. They had even gone to Lower Mobius to see if he had gone there.

"He's right, Sally-girl. You can't do Sonic any good by pacing back and forth. Y'all need to lie down and try to rest," said Bunnie. Sally finally stopped her pacing and looked over at Bunnie, eyes heavy with exhaustion.

"I guess your right, Bunnie. I just wish I knew if he was all right," said Sally. Bunnie helped Sally walk over to her bed as she laid down.

"Don't you worry none. That Sugar-hog has the spirit of a fighter in him. He'll be all right," said Bunnie. She looked down to see Sally mutter something before she fell asleep. John smiled as he looked over Bunnie's shoulder.

"Poor girl. She must have really loved that hedgehog," said John. Bunnie turned around with a smile on her face.

"You don't know the half of what those two have been through," she said.

**********

By now, the two hedgehogs had reached about the midpoint of the cave, each one using their skills to leap from pillar to pillar. Sonic was getting nervous. There was something about the cave that didn't agree with him. He looked at one of the walls, then at another. Wait! Did one of those walls just move slightly! Quick as a shot, Sonic leaped as high into the air as he could as dozens of rock spears came flying from all directions, all skewering the air just below him.

"Mecha! We've got company!" cried Sonic. Mecha-Sonic turned around it time to see one of the spears headed right at him. He cut off his thrusters and dropped to the pillar below, just missing getting hit by the rock spear. From all around the cave, Rockies appeared to flow out of the walls themselves as dozens of them decamouflaged. Some standing on small ledges, others at the two exits to the cave.

"This isn't good," said Sonic. Both hedgehogs took fighting stances against each other's back, keeping all their attention on the enemy in front of them. Sonic suddenly felt an icy fist close around his heart when he saw the Elder step out of the shadows from the entrance they had used to get into the cave.

"It is useless to resist us, Abovers. As you can see, you're trapped. But I am merciful. If you can reach the other side without getting killed, you're free to go; you have my word," said the Elder.

"I bet you won't keep that word," Sonic retorted. The Elder ignored him and turned to the Rocky standing next to him.

"Idita demands fair game, but it appears your spears missed. I suggest you go and get them," said the Elder plainly. The Rocky nodded his head before raising his club and yelling a low-pitched bellow, probably a hunting cry. All the Rockies about the cave started crossing the pillars towards the two hedgehogs.

Mecha-Sonic started firing his laser cannon at point blank, hitting several of the Rockies. They would let out a small cry before either crashing to the pillar's surface or before falling of the pillar into the abyss below. Sonic stood his ground, knowing that his most effective attack couldn't be used until they got close. One of the Rockies finally made it to a pillar less than three meters away. Sonic leaped forward with his speed and went into a spindash, bouncing off the Rocky, slicing halfway through it, and knocking it into the pit below. He used the momentum from knocking it over to return to the pillar he was originally at.

"I can't hold them off forever, now what!" cried Mecha-Sonic as he shot another Rocky that tried to jump the gap to reach them. Sonic's mind raced. There were only two options. One was to hope that they could hold out long enough on this pillar until either the Rockies retreated or were wiped out. That was suicide. The other option was to get to the exit they were originally aiming for and escape pursuit with his speed. But that would mean they would have to cross over several pillars while avoiding rock clubs left and right. Then, an idea hit him.

"Mecha, how far do you think you can throw me?" cried Sonic. Mecha-Sonic pondered that question while he continued shooting.

"Probably about 1000 yards, why?" he asked over the sound of his cannon and the Rockies hollering. Sonic looked towards the exit to the cave, trying to judge its distance. It looked to be about the same distance as Mecha though he could throw him. This was going to be close.

"Pick me up and throw me at the exit," said Sonic, just barely audible.

"Ha, and let you get out of here and leave me, fat chance!" retorted Mecha-Sonic, downing another Rocky.

"Don't argue, just do it!" yelled Sonic as he spindashed another Rocky. Mecha-Sonic let out a growl as he grabbed Sonic by the arms. He started swinging him around to build up momentum as Sonic gave him some instructions.

"As soon as you let go, fly right behind me. I'll do the rest," instructed Sonic. Mecha-Sonic gained speed as he swung around. He finally let go of Sonic, sending him flying forward at incredible speed. Mecha-Sonic took to the air, narrowly missing a club strike from a Rocky, and took off after Sonic.

*This had better work, or I'm one dead hedgehog,* thought Sonic as he sped right towards the body of one of the Rockies. Just before he hit, Sonic curled up and went into a spindash, crashing right through the Rocky and spraying rock everywhere. Mecha-Sonic smiled when he saw this happen.

*Maybe that hedgehog does know what he's doing,* thought Mecha-Sonic as he roared after him, foot thrusters near maximum thrust. Sonic shot through three more Rockies before he finally reached the ledge where the exit was. He landed on his hind with a thud, but quickly rose to his feet and cupped his hands over his mouth.

"Hurry up, Mecha!" he yelled as Mecha-Sonic flew through the now disorientated Rockies.

"I'm coming, keep your sneakers on!" he hollered back. Mecha-Sonic landed on the ledge next to Sonic, then both of them turned towards the other exit, directly at the Elder.

"So, are you going to keep your word, or what?" asked Sonic. The Elder looked stunned. Obviously, this had never happened before. Sonic grew nervous as the remaining Rockies gathered around the Elder.

"Yes. You are free to go," he said, defeated. Sonic saw the look of shame on his face and the others Rockies for that matter.

"Hey, cheer up! It's not every day that you get to chase this hedgehog around and almost get him," said Sonic. The Elder seemed to brighten up a bit. "Well, not everyday except for him." Sonic pointed to Mecha-Sonic. This time the Elder chuckled a bit.

"I guess you're right. This was one of the most exciting hunts I've been on in quite some time. Most never get very far because they are either alone, or they don't work together. But you two really give proof that two people can work together to overcome any obstacle," said the Elder, the other Rockies backing down. Both Sonic and Mecha-Sonic looked at each other, then they both smiled slightly. The Elder did have a point. They had worked together to overcome the Rockies.

"Thank you, Elder," said Sonic, giving a small bow. "I hate to be chased and then run, but I'm always on the go. So we're outta here!" Sonic gave a half wave before taking Mecha-Sonic arm and blasting from the cave.

**********

Nearly an hour later, Sonic reached the mouth of a cave that led to the outside. Boy, was it good to see the sun again. And the fresh air was delicious to his lungs after being underground for so long. He turned back to his double, expecting some kind of hate in his appearance. But the robotic hedgehog was paying sonic no mind. he was looking up at the sky, lost in its view.

*This feeling is so…foreign. I know I'm programmed to kill Sonic, but for some reason, I feel I must let him go? Must be my programming messing up again,* he thought to himself. He then remembered the red hedgehog he had seen in his mind back in the mountain. Who was that hedgehog? Why had she suddenly appeared in his mind? He looked back at Sonic, still trying to figure out the feeling. Oh well, he could check his programming when he returned to Robotropolis.

"I guess this means the truce is over, hedgehog," said Mecha-Sonic. Sonic nodded, then looked up at the sky. Mecha-Sonic followed his gaze, looking up to see the clouds slowly pass overhead.

"You know, hedgehog. If we had met under different circumstances, we might have gotten along. Heck, maybe even had been friends. But life is life, and we must return to it at some point," said Mecha-Sonic, turning his attention back to Sonic.

"It is possible, but highly unlikely," replied Sonic, who then revved up and blasted away from the cave with a sonic boom. Mecha-Sonic watched him leave, then activated his wrist communicator and called for a retrieval unit.

**********

Standing at the top of the mountain, far from view of the two hedgehogs, was a figure draped in a tan cloak from head to toe. In his hand, he held a green gem, which was softly glowing. He looked up, his red eyes glinted from the setting sun's rays. He looked down at the two hedgehogs, a pearly white smile formed from within the shadows of the hood.

"You both have taken giant leaps in the path to peace and tranquility," said the figure. It then looked towards the distant Robotropolis, then towards the Great Forest, "But this war is far from over, and the two of you will soon face an enemy from both the past and the present that are worse than you nightmares. Enjoy the peace you have now, for it will not last long, and never give up hope when the evil is greater than the good."

With these words, the figure looked into the gem. In its glowing core appeared to be a figure that resembled a human. Standing next to it was some figure that resembled a Mobian, but the image was too fuzzy to make out any distinguishing marks.

**********

The morning sun was shining brightly the next day, filling the village of Knothole with a sense of tranquility. Sonic had now gone missing for four days now, and everyone figured him for dead by now. Everyone but Sally, that is. She wouldn't come out of her hut at all, totally lost in her belief that he would show up as usual with the sonic boom sound she knew so well. As she sat on her bed, there came a knock at the door.

"Sally-girl? Do y'all mind if I come in?" asked Bunnie's voice. Sally let out a sigh. Bunnie had always been there for her in the good and bad times. Certainly this was one of the worst times, but she still owed her friend so much for the past four days. She pulled on her boots, then opened the door.

"I hope I ain't bothering ya, Sally-girl," said Bunnie as she walked in and closed the door behind her.

"No, it's okay, Bunnie. I'm the one who's being the bother. I just sit in here and reminisce about someone who I should have known would one day leave us. I mean, I think he actually emptied his credit in the bank of good luck when we finally brought Robotnik down. He was almost Roboticized during that last fight," said Sally staring at the ceiling. Bunnie had to agree, Sonic sure pushed his luck when he thought he could get away with it.

"Don't you worry none. Sonic's probably happier where he is now, up in the eternal happiness of the heavens," said Bunnie. Sally looked towards her friend, smiling for the first time since Sonic had been lost. Then they both heard a voice that caused them both to turn pale.

"You know, Bunnie's right. I am happier where I am now, but it's not up in the heavens," said a voice from Sally's window. Both of the girls turned around to see what they first mistook for a ghost, but quickly realized was real.

"Son…Sonic," whispered Sally. Bunnie was too shocked to say anything except for a few stuttered sounds. Sonic waved at the two of them.

"You bet. I'm back from the dead and still burning up the street," he said as he opened the door to the hut and walked inside. Sally almost tackled him to the ground as she embraced him in a hug. "Careful, Sal. My back took a beating the other day." He was referring to landing on his back when he was fighting with Mecha-Sonic, but that would be explained later.

"Sorry," said Sally. She finally broke the hug, then Sonic was greeted by another hug from Bunnie.

"I sure am glad y'all are all right, Sugar-hog," said Bunnie. The two broke the hug, then Sonic turned towards Sally.

"So what's happened since I've been gone?" he asked. Sally's eyes looked like they were filled with disbelief.

"What in the world do think we've been doing?! All of us were worried to death about you!", cried Sally. Sonic smiled, then walked out of the hut.

"I know you were. Hey, I'll catch ya later. I've got a certain two-tailed fox to find and help me spread the news," he called back. "Tonight I'll tell you the whole story." With that, he blasted from the hut, knocking a few loose objects off their stands. Sally watched the trail of dust dissipate, then turned to Bunnie.

"You know, sometimes I can't stand that hedgehog," she said. Bunnie had to cover her mouth to try and keep from laughing. The rest of the day consisted of Sonic doing the same thing to nearly everyone in Knothole. Then that night, he explained in great detail the adventure and truce he had with his worst enemy.

**********

A day later in Robotropolis, Mecha-Sonic tirelessly punched in data searches through the main computer, trying to find out the identity of the red hedgehog that would keep popping into his mind about every two or three hours. So far, he had come up empty, but the emotion he felt for the hedgehog was growing steadily stronger. Apparently, his programming wasn't built to withstand so much emotion from his free will.

But then something caught his eye on a sub-screen. It showed an area of the Great Unknown where two cliffs nearly touched one another. He remembered Snively telling him something about how that spot in the Great Unknown was the resting place for an exit and entrance to the dimension known only as the Void. But it the screen looked different. There was some green portal opening in the background. This didn't look good.

"Sir! Come here quick! Priority one emergency!" he shouted into the intercom. Ten seconds later, Snively burst into the command center, nearly crashing into Mecha-Sonic as he reached the main console.

"What happened?" he asked. Mecha-Sonic pointed towards the sub-screen, the portal now growing even wider. Something then stepped from portal, apparently not even fazed by the Void's incredible gravitational field that only Sonic's speed could outmatch.

"Who…or what is that?", asked Mecha-Sonic as the figure stopped, then pointed a finger at the spy-eye watching the site. A laser shot out of the fingertip, blasting the machine to pieces. Then nothing but static followed. Both Snively and Mecha-Sonic looked at each other. What in the world was that thing, and more importantly, what was its reason for coming here to Mobius.

THE END

Once again, I'd like to thank NetRaptor for giving me the confidence to start writing this series, and also for helping get my Sonic site up and running. You can visit the site, which is based around the SatAM universe, at [http://www.geocities.com/mecha_sonic2001/][1]

The site has everything from profiles of the main characters to fanfiction and fanart, all the way to your own fan made character profiles.

   [1]: http://www.geocities.com/mecha_sonic2001/



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